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YouTube : Maher India (9 minute video)
Maher is an interfaith shelter and resource center for battered and destitute women and children located near Pune, India. The Satyana Institute supports the Maher project by raising awareness and assisting in fundraising for the project. Since its inception in 1997, Maher has provided refuge and rehabilitation to over 1,320 battered women and their children. Today there are approximately 100 women and 400 children living at Maher and its fourteen satellite homes in surrounding villages.
Maher is the word for Mother's home in the local language of Marathi. Transcending religious and caste barriers in all aspects of its work, the Maher project demonstrates the power of interfaith collaboration to redress oppressive social conditions in Indian society. The goal is not only to provide refuge from domestic violence and abuse, but also to eliminate their causes in Indian communities by providing essential skills and resources that ward off neglect, superstition, and poverty.
Funding.The annual operating budget for the Maher project is just over Rs. 7 million, which is equivalent to $160,000. Financial support came initially from funds raised in Europe and India. Satyana Institute organized fundraising tours in 2005 and 2007, which has launched a substantial base of support and funding for Maher in the United States.
Essential needs at this time are (1) increased resources for hiring much needed additional staff, and (2) developing improved support for traumatized and severely disturbed women. Long-term goals include expanding the proven Maher concept to other areas in India. The need for and potential of such replication is enormous.
Tax Deductible Donations to Maher can be made through the
Maharashtra Foundation,
P.O. Box 2287, Church Street Station
New York, NY 10008
MF Tax ID: 22-2213611
United Way Agency Code: 11675
(For proper accounting, please write “For Maher” on the memo line of your check and be sure that your accurate name and address are on your check.)
Donations can also be made directly to Maher project itself. For more information, visit the Maher website at www.maherashram.org or write to cynthia@satyana.org.
Satyana Institute is donating its staff time and administrative support on behalf of the Maher project. A portion of the proceeds from each book sold will be directly donated to Maher.
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